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There’s a reason that statues of justice portray a woman wearing a blindfold. Impartiality is crucial to fairness; good judges base their decisions on facts, not favoritism.

At Wine Spectator, this simple truth stands as the foundation of our wine ratings. We believe that evaluating wines blind ensures that our tasters remain impartial and that our reviews are unbiased, with all wines presented on a level playing field.

You may be surprised to learn that not all wine writers share this approach. Some critics review wines non-blind, and even alongside the winemakers and at the wineries. They argue that honesty and independence can overcome the expectations that are inevitably triggered by knowing the identity of a wine, its reputation and its price. We respectfully disagree.